Thread: Why did they changed this from version 1.0 ?

Originally Posted by MikoteAstra

You are too focused on the copy paste thing, for witch we dont tolk about it !

Nobody here is saying that liked the copy paste thing! People are saying that they liked the big zone worlds witch were in version 1.0 including me

Except ... You can't have one without the other.

One other huge problem with MMOs that have large open worlds, is zone expansion. WoW is a huge culprit in this. Every new area they implement into WoW is in its own little server. It is impossible to reach those areas on foot.
Having a super large base world is fine and dandy, until you want to make it bigger.


Now, FFXIV has a huge advantage over the 'large overworld map' design with its smaller subzones. There is nothing stopping the devs from putting a zone smack in the middle between say Central Shroud and North Shroud. All they need to do is change the North Shroud zoneline to the new zone, and a North Shroud exit on the other side of this new zone, on the World Maps, this zone would be directly on the connection path between the existing zones, giving a reason for this zone to connect the way it does.
You also avoid having entire servers go down all at once during large events (Odin im looking at you), because the subzones can go down individually without taking out everything with it.

Classic example of the above is the new Housing Areas. They needed a space to put it, so they made the space, picked a suitable location on the world map and put a zone line in a nearby zone. The subzones themselves are also expandable, shaded areas of the maps can be brought out, much like Crystal Tower did.

And finally, the maps aren't the same because Bahamut destroyed half of Eorzea. Zones accessible previously aren't accessible now because the inhabitants of Eorzea themselves can't reach them. The area beyond the Frozen Waterfall as an example.

EDIT: How could i forget, with the large overworld design, adding new areas is limited entirely on the geometry of the surrounding areas.